1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print order accepting apparatus that accepts an order for photo prints, and also to a printing system that accepts an order for photo prints and makes the photo prints.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently known is a print order accepting apparatus placed in the storefront of a development printing (DP) store for accepting an order for prints according to an image data file or the like obtained by photographing with a digital camera, as disclosed in JP-A-2003-121946. Such a print order accepting apparatus includes a touch panel type display. When a customer sets in the print order accepting apparatus a medium brought by him- or herself and recording thereon image data files, a thumbnail image according to each image data file recorded on the medium is displayed on a display screen. In this case, when many frames of image data files are recorded on the medium, a plurality of pages of thumbnail images, for example, each constituted by eight frames, are displayed. The customer who has checked the thumbnail images displayed on the display screen, can input, through the touch panel, information on his or her order, for example, the number of prints for each image.
Further, a photo processing apparatus is placed in the DP store. The photo processing apparatus is connected to the print order accepting apparatus through a data transmission network so that the photo processing apparatus can obtain the image data files and order information received by the print order receiving apparatus. On the basis of the image data files and the order information obtained from the print order accepting apparatus, the photo processing apparatus prints images on respective printing papers to make photo prints.
In the printing system constituted by the print order accepting apparatus and the photo processing apparatus as described above, the photo processing apparatus obtains image data files and order information concerning the image data files after the customer completes the input of the order information on all the image data files recorded on the medium, and determines the order. That is, after the order for printing for all image data files is determined, the photo processing apparatus starts processing of printing. Generally in such a photo processing apparatus, about ten minutes are required from the start of print processing to the finish of the first photo print. Thus, the customer who has completed his or her order for printing is kept waiting for about ten minutes till the first photo print is finished, and further for several tens of minutes till all photo prints are finished.